Thoughtful Thursday

When life gets busy and stressful (or even when it's smooth sailing), I think it's important to make time to stop, reflect, and regroup. To remind yourself of not only everything that you're thankful for and the things that are going right, but to acknowledge all the little things that make you smile. To help myself (and others) do this, I wanted to start a new weekly feature: Thoughtful Thursday. This idea is not original to me; many other bloggers have similar features. But I thought this would be a good weekly motivation exercise for me, as well as a good way for you to glimpse my inspirations and favorite things. Plus, it means I'll be updating this here ol' blog at least once a week! So, without further ado, here are some things that I love:

Ludwig the Lemur God © Jessica Fortner.

Jessica Fortner's sculptures and 3D illustration. Jessica's work is at times disturbing, other times cute, but always thought-provoking and totally amazing. I would love to own one or three of her sculptures.

Common Garden Cephalopod © Kit Lane.

Kit Lane is a fellow Minnesotan who makes wonderfully weird needle-felted critters. Her work always makes me smile, and I'm happy to own one of her Jacabob-like creatures, who keeps me company at the day job. Plus, Kit's just an all-around nice gal!

I've been super into vinyl toys lately, and the customs out there are simply stunning. Here's just a few of the artists whose work I enjoy:

Woody IWG © 64 Colors.

Swampthing © Leecifer.

Chief Kijani © Lunabee.

Dorado Night Walker © Kat Brunnegraff.

And finally, my pooches. Really cheesy, yes, but there's honestly nothing better than a snuggle from a loyal furry friend when I'm feeling low. Plus, it's darn near impossible to be in a bad mood when Yuri (the red one) is around; he's such a goon!